Suspended Roller Coaster Coming To Michigan's Adventure

Muskegon, MI -- Thrill seekers will have another reason to visit Michigan's Adventure next summer as the amusement park today announced its plans to erect the state's first suspended looping roller coaster. Slated to debut next spring, this latest addition will increase the total number of roller coasters at the park to seven.

The new roller coaster named Thunderhawk will rise up 105-feet and begin with more than an eight story drop. What makes Thunderhawk suspended is the design of the train which rides below the overhead steel track. Riders seated in open bottom trains soar through the air with their feet dangling below them as they wind through a course that includes five inversions.

"Thunderhawk will bring a new dimension of thrills to the park," said Camille Jourden-Mark, the vice president and general manager of Michigan's Adventure. "It will be an exciting ride that twists, turns and flips. A suspended coaster that loops will be an instant favorite with our guests."

According to statement from Michigan's Adventure, the Thunderhawk roller coaster will reach speeds of 50 mph during the two minute ride.

Michigan's Adventure plans to locate the new attraction near RipCord and Adventure Falls. The 2,260-foot long ride will have a massive steel structure with tubular steel track.

Riders will board one of two ten-car trains, seating two abreast per car for a total of 20 passengers. Each rider will be secured with an over-the-shoulder restraint and interlocking safety belt.

In order to ride the Thunderhawk, guests must be between 52 and 80 inches tall.

Thunderhawk will represent the largest single ride expenditure in the history of the park according to Michigan's Adventure. Next summer, the amusement park will offer more than 60 rides and attractions, including seven roller coasters.

Michigan's Adventure expects Thunderhawk to complement the park's perennial favorite, Shivering Timbers, a 125-foot tall wooden coaster that consistently ranks as one of the world's best wooden roller coaster in polls conducted by Amusement Today.